Sunday, May 03, 2009

April was a tough month for me. I had to work overtime at my day job and I had some personal stress that made working, writing and everything in-between a bit of a challenge.

What kept me going was that I could see an end in sight. My kids’ school year is almost over, which opens up a lot of extra time and things at work should begin to ease up soon. Also, I have a vacation scheduled for early June. It was all looking up until I ripped off my April calendar page and exposed May.Already, I see ten days with appointments or events inked in. The end of the school year also means cramming in many last minute engagements and large projects. I have several days for writing related matters. While these events do not involve writing, they are some of the social things you should do to nurture future endeavors.

Add in Mother’s Day, my 20th Wedding Anniversary and a concert I won tickets to, and I’m exhausted just thinking about the month that lies in front of me. I’m also anticipating some unexpected things to challenge my time this month. Can you really expect the unexpected? Believe me, a busy Mom can smell it a mile away!

Since this was the only “open” weekend in May, I had a battle between my practical side and my ever exhausted Mom side. The one side of me faced the perfect opportunity to get a jump on the month: clean the house from top to bottom, have all the laundry and ironing done, grocery shop and most importantly, get some writing done now before it’s too late.

The Mom side felt differently. Maybe I should take it easy and rest up. No sense burning the candle from both ends, right? What good will I be for anyone if I wear myself down before the month even starts? Yes, I should stay on the sofa and veg out! Oh, I can even take a nap! I haven’t done that in awhile. I could read my library book and stay in my pajamas.

Which side do you think won? Well, as usual it was a bit of a hybrid. I stayed home most of the day. You could call it “Sloth Saturday,” and I’m not apologizing for it. I woke up with the intention of going into the office for a few hours. Then I looked at the rain coming down outside and I said “no.” Instead, I made a second cup of joe and sat my butt down. As the day unfolded, however, I did my grocery shopping and four loads of laundry! For the most part, though, I just sat around watching bad TV and chatting up my family.

Now it’s Sunday and I have to pay the price for my slothly ways. I still need to go into my office and the house is a mess. The laundry is done for the most part, but it still needs to be folded and put away. Today, I really can’t waste any time. However, I don’t want to regret yesterday. Why do we feel it’s important to be productive all the time? Sometimes it should okay to kick back and ruminate the day away. Days of relaxation help us to recharge and give our brains a chance to let new things soak in. When everything is work, even creating, doesn’t the imagination begin to stifle itself? I know the brain needs regular exercise, but in weight training you have to give your muscles a break. I did not waste my weekend. On the contrary, I provided my brain and body with much needed rest and re-fueling. I can now conquer the challenges for the month ahead with a clear head and healthy body. Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!